Kerala minister says inhabited areas will be excluded from ESA notification

Kerala Forest Minister Shibu Baby John has urged people not to spread what he described as baseless fears about the Eco-Sensitive Area notification. He said the government would ensure that inhabited areas were completely excluded from the final notification. The minister made the remarks on Saturday while inaugurating the 87th annual general body meeting of the Association of Planters of Kerala in Kochi.

His comments were directed at concerns connected with the proposed designation of eco-sensitive areas. John said the government was firm in its position on inhabited areas. He also said it would implement a policy based on containment, mitigation and compensation to address conflict between people and wildlife.

The minister did not provide further details in the supplied material about the boundaries of the proposed area or the timetable for the final notification. His statement nevertheless sought to reassure residents and other groups that inhabited locations would not be included. The planters’ association also raised compensation and land-use concerns at the meeting.

Its general body called for a compensation scheme modelled on motor insurance for incidents in which wild animals destroy crops. United Planters’ Association of Southern India vice-president Anil Mathew asked the government to increase the share of land permitted for diversification from 5% to 30%. The requests reflect the economic concerns being raised by plantation groups while the government considers the notification.

The meeting was chaired by APK chairman T.R. Radhakrishnan. The source material did not record a response from the government to the association’s specific demands.